7 new experiences in Siem Reap you should do

Siem Reap offers tourists so many exciting things to do beyond the beauty of Angkor Wat from swimming in waterfalls to dirt-biking through the countryside and zip-lining past gibbons hanging from the treetops. Here are 7 unusual things to do in Siem Reap.

Eat a tarantula

Yes, you read that right. Tarantulas are eaten across Cambodia, and can be found in metal bowls at Siem Reap’s night markets. Fear not, they’re not alive. In fact, the hairy arachnids are deep-fried in chilli so the brave-hearted can safely tuck in, knowing all they will taste is a fiery kick and a crunchy texture.

Go to the circus

Go to the circus (via CNN.com)

Roll up, roll up, the circus is in town – every night at 8pm, in fact. And this isn’t your typical circus, Phare the Cambodian Circus is the product of NGO school and professional arts training centre, Phare Ponleu Selpak. Plucking youngsters from poverty, the centre provides training in a range of performing arts, including circus, with students putting on Cirque du Soleil-style shows with Cambodian themes.

Visit a floating village

Siem Reap is the location of Tonlé Sap Lake, a huge expanse of water that rises and falls, depending on whether it is wet or dry season. A floating village on the water is inhabited by many ethnic Vietnamese and Cham communities, while the water and its surrounding areas provide a habitat for a swathe of endangered birds and marine life. Various boat trips will sail through these villages, where everything from the butchers to churches and schools float gently on the lake’s surface.

Fly with gibbons

Fly with Gibbons (via TouriMe)

Do something a bit different at Angkor Wat Archaeological Park and go wild with jungle wildlife at Flight of the Gibbons. Whizz through the tropical treetops via a maze of zip-lines suspended high above the sprawling park, which is dotted with hundreds of temples, spotting the families of gibbons along the way.

Meet some bees

Bees Unlimited offers a range of tours that visit rafter beekeepers of giant honey bees, highlighting how this unique method is a dying tradition and shining a spotlight on an innovative team of beekeepers who strive to turn this seasonal activity into a sustainable livelihood for many. The tour also takes in other food produced in Siem Reap, including tofu, rice noodles and palm sugar.

Cool off at Kulen

Cool off at Kulen (via Trover)

Regarded as the most sacred mountain in Cambodia, Phnom Kulen is a popular place of pilgrimage at weekends and during festivals. Offering a welcome reprieve from Siem Reap’s simmering heat, the rainforest-cloaked national park is home to several gushing waterfalls and a number of religious sites.

Learn more about landmines

DIY de-miner Aki Ra opened the Cambodia Landmine Museum to help fund the mass programmes that aim to rid Cambodia of the landmines left during the war, which still litter the country today. The museum contains a collection of landmines, weapons and tanks from the Khmer Rouge and Vietnamese occupation. An eye-opening insight into the millions of landmines and unexploded objects left behind by decades of conflict.

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